Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Heidar Malki

December 17, 2012

Professor Heidar A. Malki is Chair of the Engineering Technology
Department. In addition, he has a joint appointment with the Electrical
and Computer Engineering Department at UH. Dr. Malki earned his Ph.D. in
Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He
enjoys reading, jogging, kayaking, and yard work in his spare time.

Q. What brought you to the University of Houston College of Technology?

A. As I was finishing my Ph.D. dissertation in fall 1990, I was
looking for a job and wanted to move to a warm, big city that offered
better opportunities to raise a family. The University of Houston
provided me with the opportunity to interact with the oil and gas
industry and NASA, while continuing my research. I moved here to take a
position as an assistant professor at Texas Southern University. I
needed a mainframe computer to access my files at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the UH Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering was able to provide an account. I would come to the UH
Central campus quite often until the completion of my thesis. During one
of my visits in spring 1991, I dropped by the College of Technology in
search of summer or full-time employment. Dr. Luces Faulkenberry,
Associate Professor and former chair of the Engineering Technology
Department, told me about a new opening in the control systems area.
Since that was one of my research interests, I applied immediately. I
accepted a position as assistant professor at the College of Technology,
and am still here as a happy faculty member and chair of the
department!

Q. Are you involved in research now?

A. My interests include industrial applications of neural networks,
design of fuzzy logic controllers with industrial applications, and
neuro-fuzzy controllers. However, as the chair of a rapidly growing
department, my time to engage in research has been somewhat limited. I
have been a principal investigator (PI) and co-PI on several state,
National Science Foundation, and NASA grants. My latest projects include
Development of a Lunar Navigation System, funded by the NASA Johnson
Space Center and Sensor Networks and Security Infrastructure, funded by
NASA and the Department of Defense.

Through my joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering, I supervised a Ph.D. student who recently
completed his doctoral degree. His doctoral dissertation was entitled
Predictive Energy Management Methods for Smart Grids.

Q. What are your various roles?

A. As the department chair, my main responsibility is to oversee the
curriculum, academic, and accreditation issues for four undergraduate
and three graduate engineering technology programs. In addition, I
support undergraduate and graduate students facing academic challenges;
manage the department's budget, staff, and faculty; establish joint
international collaborative programs with other countries; and hire
faculty, graduate students, and staff for the department.

I usually teach undergraduate level C++ and control systems courses.
In addition, I teach graduate level courses --introduction to neural
networks, digital signal processing, and a graduate seminar.

Q. What are the most challenging aspects of your job?

A. Like many department chairs, managing the department budget during
the tough economic climate has been particularly challenging and a top
priority. In addition, our ever-increasing enrollment has driven our
need to accelerate the hiring of qualified part-time faculty.

Q. What advice would you like to offer to current or prospective students?

A. The College of Technology's engineering technology programs and
faculty are highly recognized by industry. We are very proud of the
quality of education that our students experience here. My advice to all
students is to be mindful of the deadlines—for enrollment, courses and
projects. Make the extra effort to attend classes and actively
participate in them. Provide feedback to improve the quality of the
programs. Actively participate in regional and national competitions to
complement your learning and grow as a professional. In addition, I
encourage the students to become a member of the college alumni to
promote ET and the college.